Ask Your Pharmacist: bringing NHS services closer to home

Did you know you can now get even more support from your local pharmacy, making it easier to get clinical advice on minor health conditions?

During Ask Your Pharmacist Week (3-10 November) we are taking the opportunity to raise awareness of the many services your local pharmacy can provide. This includes treatment, or prescription medicine if needed, for seven common health conditions, without you needing to see a GP.

Conditions that pharmacists can offer prescription medicine for are:

• sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
• sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
• earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
• infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
• impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
• shingles (aged 18 years and over)
• urinary tract infections (UTIs) (women aged 16 to 64 years)

Earlier this year, pharmacies began offering the oral contraceptive pill and now oral emergency contraception (the morning-after pill) is also available for free from almost 10,000 pharmacies, without needing a prescription or a GP consultation.

Professor Nil Sanganee, Chief Medical Officer, Northamptonshire ICB said: “Community pharmacy teams are highly-skilled, qualified health professionals who have the right clinical training to give people the health advice they need.

“Pharmacists have always helped patients, families and carers in their communities to stay healthy and they are well placed to offer treatment for health conditions. By expanding the services community pharmacies offer, the NHS is aiming to free up GP appointments and give people more choice in how and where they access care.”

Patients don’t need an appointment to see a pharmacist, some are open late, during weekends and Bank Holidays, and private consultation rooms are available. Pharmacy teams can also signpost to other relevant local services where necessary.

For more information visit: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/pharmacies/how-pharmacies-can-help/